To Extirpate Rats and Mice (Spell)

Take fine iron or steel filings. Mix the same with ground willow wood into a dough. If this dough is put into the mouse holes, the mice will be eager to devour it, and soon die.

Take leaves of white hellebore, mixed with fine wheat flour, and knead into a stiff dough, with honey. This dough put into the holes when the rats and mice run in and out. They will eagerly devour, and surely die.

Or, take bitter almonds and fine wheat flour, make a stiff dough, and dispose of it as already stated.

Take potassa, and strew into the mouse and rat holes. This sometimes kills the entire brood in a few hours.

Take Halesia seed, and throw it into the holes. This they eat with greediness, and certain death will follow.

Take the rinds of wild gourds or pumpkins. Mix the same with equal portions of wolf's wort (Chrysanthemum) and barley flour. Of these articles make a stiff dough. Rats and mice eating of this will meet sure death.

Take the head of a rat or mouse, draw the skin there­from, and put the head in the place where these vermin con­gregate, and they will fly at once in great haste, as if they were bewitched, and never more return for fear that it might be done unto them as to their dead kindred.

Another good exterminator is to take the herb skunk cabbage, symplocarpus fretidus angustifolium, and fumigate the place infested with the mice. As long as this odor touches their nostrils they will stay away.